Devices for the application of tape and other surface preparatory materials, such as paper, plastic sheets, etc., are well known and are generally referred to as masking machines. Generally, masking machines are employed for protecting a designating portion of a surface from a finish or treatment applied to an adjacent portion of the surface in preparation for painting, trimming and other finishing techniques; for example, in general painting and decorative trimming of vehicle bodies, walls of buildings and other large and small items.
There is a need to create masking machines with improved mechanical properties and enhanced ergonomics for the user. For example, there is a need to provide for a masking machine one or more of the following: an ergonomic thumb grip, a directional handle for improved dispensing control and improved cutting of sheet and tape, a blade slot fastened with screw or thumbscrew to masking machine to allow smooth adjustment and quick changing of sizes of the cutting blade, an improved sheet reel spring that holds a masking roll evenly onto a sheet reel, and a tapered spring that allows the masking roll to slip onto a tape reel.
Information relevant to hand held devices can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 3,950,214 (Pool et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,021 (Pool et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,379,019 (Pool), U.S. Pat. No. 4,667,891 (Pool), U.S. Pat. No. 4,783,016 (Pool), U.S. Pat. No. 4,913,767 (Longworth), U.S. Pat. No. 5,667,636 (Cayford et al.); each of the foregoing United States Patent is hereby incorporated herein by reference. Each one of these referenced items, however, suffers from one or more of the needs cited above.
For example, one disadvantage is that they do not use an ergonomic thumbgrip.
For example, another disadvantage is that they do not have a blade slot fastened with a screw or thumbscrew to the masking machine to allow smooth adjustment and quick changing of sizes of the cutting blade.